Brother Rodric Chandler is in the pay of the usurper King Henry IV’s stepbrother Thomas Swynford and as such is expected to be both detective and spy albeit very reluctantly. He’s tasked with finding the murderer/s of several of Swynfords men, as they escort King Richards body back to the capital. Add in the new heresy laws, where all trace of King Richard is being erased, and a bit of a love interest, it’s an interesting and informative read.

I find that by reading a well researched historical novel I learn more about the history of a country than I ever did at school. Brother Chandler isn’t your normal priest, but then these were very difficult times, with Henry having overthrown Richard II in a cruel and bloody fashion, and then trying to erase all trace of him, his good works and his supporters. Secrets were the norm and no one dare speak their true feelings for fear of being betrayed, An interesting take on this time in history, I found the pace just a little slow. The ending seems almost abrupt after the pace of the rest of the book, but an enjoyable read. While it’s a stand alone read, I think it would probably be better to have read the first book in the series.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

My main knowledge of Richard II and Henry IV come from Shakespeare and this book gives a very different view of both. Where Shakespeare gives an unsympathetic view of Richard for most of the play and only garners sympathy for him at the end, The Day of the Serpent is much more in his corner. Of course the brutality of Henry IV's reign - the public executions and so on - were still a feature of Shakespeare's time, he didn't dwell on the as he probably didn't see them as anything unusual.

A Very interesting and well written book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I read a free advance copy of the book. This review is voluntary, honest and my own opinion.

This second in the series of spy Brother Chandler worked better as an historical depiction rather than a murder mystery. A time of Henry IV taking of the crown and the events of the murder of Richard II. Trying to keep on the fence Brother Chandler finds he is not trusted by either side. It’s a slow investigation which lets down the pace of the mystery. If you were attracted to this story for the mystery element you might be a bit disappointed.
I was given an arc of this book by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

1400 To the backdrop of the removal of Richard II as the rightful king and the replacement of the usurper Henry II, and his quelling of a rebellion. Brother Rodric Chandler accompanies the body of Richard back to Westminster from Pontefract Castle. On the journey men start being killed, shot by an arrow. Sir Thomas Swynford King Henry‘s stepbrother instructs Chandler to find the guilty party, but life is made more dangerous with the introduction of the new heresy laws.
An entertaining, slow-paced, and well-written historical mystery with its cast of likeable characters. Which can easily be read as a standalone story. A good addition to the series.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A rollicking and truculent fictional journey set at the dawn of one of England's most turbulent & violent centuries, it centers mostly around the shady power grab orchestrated by the usurper-king Henry IV and the murder of his cousin and royal predecessor Richard II. This second installment in the series is dark, menacing and very violent and I enjoyed it more as a powerful piece of historical fiction than a gripping murder mystery. Its political shenanigans and the religious mayhem against the Lollards are brilliantly depicted and the unforgettable cast of characters is very strong.
It might actually be more judicious to read this series in chronological order in order to get a better perspective on the plot. The language is brillant & the unrelenting action fiendishly good.
I simply can't wait for the next episode!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Canongate/Severn for this terrific ARC

This historical mystery set at the start of the reign of Henry IV of England, and follows on from "The Hour of the Fox" - so it is advisable to read the series in order.

This is an interesting point in history - the deposition of a reigning monarch, the usurpation of a throne, rebellion and sedition, heresy and heretical writings. The author has documented this rather well, using three narratives to convey this story - we have the first person narrative of Mattie for Chaucer and his activities; we have the third person narrative for the bulk of the story (the investigation into the mysterious archer); and added to this is the first person chronicle of Brother Chandler, who has decided to document (a true account of) events for posterity - just in case.

As I said, it is better to have read the first in the series as a number of characters make a return as does the prophecy theme. I would have preferred a bit more of an exploration of the roles of the spymasters, who I felt got the short end of the stick in this book. This one was rather slow-moving in its pace but that didn't detract from the reading. I should note that after reading both in the series (so far), I found myself liking the first one more than this second. The ending, however, I found to be rather disappointing and has left me wondering what the author's intent is with the character of Brother Chandler.